


The dangers of a boring Tuesday

by Marvelouswrites



Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Body Horror, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22644190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marvelouswrites/pseuds/Marvelouswrites
Summary: Herbert West gets into trouble
Relationships: Daniel Cain/Megan Halsey, Herbert West/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	The dangers of a boring Tuesday

It was Tuesday evening and Herbert West was bored.

A state of mind he truly loathed. 

He clicked his pen three times in succession, a nearly full notebook open in his lap.

He was just about to get up and get a glass of water when there was a brisk knock on the door.

Herbert ignored the sound, whoever it was surely not there for him.  
The knock came again, more insistent this time.

“Daniel-” Herbert called, before remembering that his roommate was not home. 

There it was again. 

Whoever it was seemed prepared to knock the damn door in.

He closed the notebook with a snap and stalked to the front door, yanking it open with enough force that the hinges squealed.

“May I help you.” He snapped through gritted teeth.  
A young blond man in a red scarf jumped and clutched the strap of his messenger bag as the door was pulled open. Herbert raised his eyebrows as he recognized who it was. 

“Mr. Davies, what-”

“I need that body back, Mr. West.”  
Herbert's heavy brows knitted over his glasses and he opened his mouth to deny while simultaneously reaching back to grab the scalpel he'd left on the side table-how did he know, he'd been so careful, discrete, cautious-no one had been in the morgue besides Dan and himself. He didn't want to hurt the morgue attendant, he liked the young man well enough; he was quiet, reserved, had let him in to the morgue at odd hours with no questions asked on more than one occasion.

Herbert didn't want to hurt Sebastian, but he would if it came to that.

“I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. D-”  
The young man raised his hands and shook his head, cutting Herbert off before he could finish the thought.

“I don't have time for this-that body needs to be back in the morgue before midnight,” There was an almost panicked tone to the young man's voice, and Herbert held the scalpel behind his back, curiosity piqued despite himself.

“Why?”  
He asked, tilting his head and watching Sebastian closely. Sebastian licked his lips and glanced around, catching his lower lip between his teeth for a moment before looking back.

“I can't, I can't tell you.” He took a deep breath and shook his head, gripping the strap of his bag tight.

“You can have it back after. Please, Mr. West.” Sebastian looked Herbert right in the eye, a subtle almost pleading note to his raspy voice that sent a little shiver down Herbert's spine. He frowned, toyed with the scalpel behind his back. The body was really too far gone to be of much use; he'd been testing a refined version of the serum on the liver, but that was really all it was good for. A few hours would make no difference. Herbert pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, looking at Sebastian closely for a long moment. 

Something in the morgue technicians manner told Herbert he wasn't going to rat them out-he hadn't yet, and the fact that Sebastian had come here and asked, not confronted him at the University, spoke volumes.  
He seemed furtive, nervous almost.  
Herbert had always been good at reading people-usually he just didn't care, who had time to mince around with niceties when there were far more important things to be concerned with. He leaned back and set the scalpel back down.

“Fine.” He replied curtly, smoothing his pencil thin tie, and the taut line of the morgue technicians shoulders relaxed under his sweater.

“On one condition, you help me get it in and out again.” Dan was off on some idiotic vacation with Miss Halsey for spring break; Herbert was missing the extra pair of hands. Sebastian nodded almost immediately and Herbert had the sudden thought that he could have asked him to do anything in exchange and he would have. 

An image of Sebastian on his knees, Herbert's fingers buried in his hair as he went down on him in the morgue rose unbidden in the back of His mind. He pushed it away hurriedly; unnecessary, unimportant, a product of his stagnant brain cells. And he wouldn't want him if he was unwilling, anyway. Still, Herbert's eyes lingered on Sebastian's mouth as he spoke,

“Alright, uh, I suppose I'll be back...in a few hours then.” He said with an awkward smile, pulling up the sleeve of his sweater to glance at his watch.

Herbert remained unsmiling.

“Fine.”  
And he closed the door in Sebastian's face.

Later that evening, a unobtrusive grey sedan pulled up to the rear entrance of the University hospital. It parked neatly by the delivery entrance, the one used by ambulances that weren't in a hurry, and two figures got out, both passenger and drivers side doors closed without a sound.

The figures circled around to the trunk.  
Sebastian glanced around quickly and wiped his palms on his jacket before hurrying to the delivery door and unlocking it; he wasn't supposed to have a key, but the supervisor hated the night shift and so had given a copy to Sebastian in case of late night emergencies. The morgue attendant ducked inside to get a gurney and sheet.

Herbert stood a little to the side, keeping an eye out for anyone who might see them, hands tucked into the pocket of his black over coat. Satisfied they would not be seen he moved to wait next to the trunk, tapping the toe of his neat black shoe impatiently.

A few moments later, Sebastian returned, wheeling a gurney and looking nervous.

“There's no one in.” He said quickly, parking the gurney next to the trunk and unlocking it, fumbling the keys only a little. Herbert sucked his teeth, thinking about the work he could be doing at this very moment instead of standing in a cold parking lot. 

He pushed his glasses back into place and watched Sebastian struggle with the body for a moment; he'd grabbed it under the shoulders and was heaving it onto the metal table, straining under the dead man's weight. He blew a strand of blond hair from his eye and shot Herbert an irritated glance. The smaller man refocused and stepped forward then, grabbing the feet and between the two of them they wiggled the corpse onto the gurney. Sebastian threw the sheet over top and slapped a toe tag on and away they went.

The walk to the morgue was longer than Herbert remembered. He hadn't used this entrance before, as he was usually already in the hospital when he snuck down to the morgue to poke around. He was pushing the back end of the gurney and as they rounded a corner Sebastian suddenly stopped short, the gurney lurching to a halt against his heels.

“Wai-oh Shi-” the hissed expletive was cut short as the corpse, not strapped down in the slightest, slid forward and rammed against his back, knocking him off his feet and onto the floor. The body slumped down and landed face first on the linoleum with an unpleasant crunch.  
Herbert swore and darted around the side.  
He poked his head around the corner.

Nothing.

He snapped his eyes back to Sebastian who was picking himself up off the floor, an embarrassed look on his face.

“What the hell was that!?”  
Herbert snapped; he had already been told off for being in the morgue when he wasn't supposed to, and he did not want to lose this access because his co-conspirator couldn't keep his feet under him.  
Sebastian stood up and rubbed at his knee,

“I thought I saw someone down the corridor!” He hissed back, and then with a wince looked down at the body slumped comically on the floor.

“Help me with this,” he whispered, grabbing the corpse and heaving.  
Herbert muttered darkly and went to help. They got the body back up and on the table in a few seconds and both looked down at it.

The nose, formerly a large hooked thing, was now entirely flat.

After a beat, they looked back at each other.

Sebastian pressed his lips together and Herbert felt his own mouth curl into a suppressed smile as the other man snorted out a laugh.

“Well, he was ugly tosser to begin with,” Sebastian whispered, a bit of a grin sneaking onto his face. He had a gap between his front teeth. Herbert's small smile vanished as Sebastian checked his watch,

“Bloody hell, we'd better hurry.”  
He tossed the sheet back over the flattened face and they continued on.

The desk in front of the door to the morgue was empty, as the man who was supposed to be occupying it was currently smuggling a body back into the cold room. Herbert looked up and down the corridor as Sebastian unlocked the heavy metal door and propped it open with his foot. Herbert pushed his end of the gurney inside and the heavy door slowly swung shut.  
Sebastian turned the light on and hurried over to the wall of slabs, running his finger down the labels until he found the correct door.

“27, here, quickly!” He said, glancing down at his watch again with a nervous expression. Herbert pushed hard, the wheels of the gurney squealing.

“And why exactly are we in a hurry?” He snapped, irritated at the sweat beading against his neck and the fact that he'd agreed to this farce in the first place. He should have just closed the door on the man, or better yet, not opened it at all.  
Curse spring break, curse Dan for winning that damn vacation, and curse his own stagnant mind for getting bored and thus, distracted by a handsome face.

Sebastian looked at him over the sheet covered body, his thin face flushed from exertion. He pushed the sleeves of his sweater up to the elbow, and Herbert caught a glimpse of black lines etched into his skin.

“I can't tell you, I thought I'd made that clear.” He said with a frown, tugging at the collar of his shirt. Herbert frowned right back, eyes drawn to two little black marks on the morgue attendants neck. Tattoos, small, rough looking designs reminiscent of runic symbols.

What was that about.

“Look, I'm not asking you any questions as to why you had this,” Sebastian gestured to the corpse between them,

“In the first place, it seems fair that you don't ask me why it needs to be back for the moment! Speaking of,” he looked back to his watch again and his hazel eyes went wide.

“Oh damn it all-” as if on cue, the sound of footsteps coming down the hall towards them cut him off.  
Sebastian looked around in a panic,

“Quick quick!! Get him in there!”  
They quickly slid the body off the gurney and onto the slab, Sebastian closing the metal hatch quickly but carefully. 

The footsteps, two pairs, by the sound of it, were drawing closer.

Herbert did not know what was going on-a feeling he did not enjoy in the slightest. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

“Who is that!?” He hissed, squeezing his hands three times in succession. Sebastian either wasn't listening or was choosing to ignore him, both options made Herbert angry. 

“I can't-ah no time, in here!” Sebastian whispered, dashing over to a small supply closet and yanking the door open. Herbert nearly stood his ground, but the look of panic in Sebastian's eyes had him curious so he followed. They crammed themselves into the closet and the morgue attendant pulled the door shut just as the door across the room opened.

It was a tight squeeze.

Herbert had never been bothered by physicality; bodies were just bodies living or dead, and he didn't really mind being jammed against Sebastian's chest.  
He squinted through the cracks in the closet door.

“Lights on already, hm.”

A man's voice, Herbert could only see a dark coat and hat.

“I told you, I have a man on the inside.”

He squinted and then craned his neck to peer at Sebastian.  
The blond man was clearly less comfortable with being in such close quarters; he held his arms at awkward angles, one elbow jammed into the corner, the other pushed up against the wall and was doing his level best to not look down at him.

“Just here-number 27.” 

Herbert looked back through the cracks in the door as Sebastian's twin sister spoke again.  
The drawer opened and there was a moment's silence.

“What happened to his face?”

The man asked. Herbert felt Sebastian's chest tighten and the race of his pulse against his cheek.

“Clumsy med student I'm sure; is this satisfactory?” 

Another pause.

“Yes, yes. Here.” 

The man reached into his coat and Herbert leaned forward, pressing against Sebastian even more as he squinted to try and make out what was happening through the thin cracks of light.

His foot brushed against a mop.

“What was that?”

The man paused, his hand in his jacket.

“Just a broom or something I'm sure.” 

This reply didn't seem to satisfy the man and Herbert held his breath.

“It would go a long way to maintaining this business relationship, Miss, if you would check.”

The man insisted; he had a whiny, nasal tone to his voice that grated on the ears.

Herbert saw the woman turn-he couldn't see her face but he did see her withdraw a gun from within her jacket and he inhaled sharply. Sebastian clamped a hand over his mouth and pulled him even closer, wrapping an arm around his chest and squishing them both as far into the corner of the closet as possible. As focused as he was on the tense situation, Herbert couldn't help but notice that Sebastian wore some kind of cologne.  
He found he liked the smell.  
She was nearly on them, the gun level with Herbert's wide eyes as she gripped the knob.

Dan leaned back in his chair, sighing contentedly as the warm sunshine beat down on his bare chest.  
Waves crashed against the white sand as he looked out over the ocean, fluffy clouds scudded across the brilliant blue sky, and palm trees swayed in the salty breeze; the very picture of paradise.  
He could not believe his luck.  
He'd entered the drawing on a whim, figuring he’d be out five bucks if he lost, no harm no foul.  
He grinned, closing his eyes as he remembered the feeling of absolute elation as his name had been posted. Remembering that brought to mind the look on West's dour face as he told his roommate he'd be gone for a whole week.

“Please tell me you aren't thinking about West again, Daniel.” Meg chided as she sat on the edge of his chair and handed him a fruity drink, complete with tiny paper umbrella.  
Dan opened one eye and took the drink, taking a slurp before replying.

“What makes you say that, Megan?” He asked in the same chiding tone. She elbowed him lightly and he schooched over, making room for her to settle in next to him.

“Because you have this look on your face like something just died.” She teased, poking him lightly in the ribs with her teeny umbrella. Dan gasped in mock pain and then shook his head.

“I guess, I just, I don't know, I'm concerned?” He said, sounding like he doubted himself. Meg sighed heavily and looped her arm around his shoulders.

“Well, don't be. I'm sure the little creep's just holed up in his room, pouring over papers and pouting ‘cause you're not there.” Dan sighed and opened his other eye. He kissed her on the cheek and stole a sip of her drink.

“Yeah, I'm sure you're right.”

The closet door opened.  
Herbert's heart stopped as the woman looked down at him and the gun in her hand caught a bit of light as she filled the doorway.  
Her eyes were cold, devoid of anything, and Herbert wondered if this is what a mouse felt like under the gaze of a snake.

A stab of genuine fear jolted through his body and he gripped Sebastian’s arm tight enough to bruise.  
Herbert knew without a shadow of a doubt, that if he had been alone in that closet, he'd be dead.  
After what felt like an eternity, she closed the door.

“Just a broom falling.”

The man in the hat sucked his teeth.

“Are you-”

“Do you doubt me?” 

Herbert could practically hear the man's heart rate spike as she spoke.

“N-no, just, can't be too cautious...not when dealing with these sorts of...matters.” He coughed.

Sebastian slowly lowered his hand from Herbert's mouth and pressed his finger to his lips, keeping his arm around Herbert's chest as they both squinted out again.

The man in the hat was shuffling in his jacket again, and he produced a manilla envelope positively bursting at the seams.

“Seems quite a lot for just this…” he said, tone straining to be light as he gestured to the body.

Sebastian's sister took the envelope and opened it, and Herbert strained to see even though he knew what it was.

Money, and lots of it.

She ran her thumb along the bills and then pocketed the envelope as the man in the hat looked down at the corpse he'd payed for. He didn't seem to think it strange that the woman he'd hired to do the job had moved behind him.

“Thank you for your patronage.” she said calmly.

Herbert blinked as the gun went off; there was almost no sound, and the man's body jerked and slumped to the floor, his hat following like a leaf on a breeze.  
She stood still for a moment and when the body did not move again, Herbert saw her turn back to the closet.

Sebastian pushed the door open and they both spilled out in a tangle, followed by the mop and a bucket knocked from a shelf.

“Good evening gentlemen.”  
The woman said wryly as she watched them struggle.  
Sebastian disentagled himself and hopped to his feet, ears and cheeks crimson.  
Herbert got up more slowly, eyes glued to the blood pooling on the floor. 

“Vivienne-” Sebastian started but she waved her hand and he stopped short.

They had a quiet conversation but Herbert wasn't listening, focused on the body sprawled on the floor.

“Do you have plans for that?” He asked suddenly, turning to face the twins.

They both stopped and looked at him with surprised expressions.

“I'm sorry?”  
Vivienne asked, eyebrow raised.

“The body-do you have plans for it.” Herbert repeated, mind already racing.

She shot Sebastian a look and he gave a little shrug.

“He's alright.” He said simply, and Herbert felt an odd surge of affection for the young man, but he pushed it away, intent on this new fodder for his experiment.  
He needed to hurry, time was precious.


End file.
